Dance of Demons
by FlattenedMi
Summary: [shounenai]A quest for revenge, for legends, for pain...And truth. What would it all lead to...?
1. Prologue

**Dance of Demons  
****By: Flattened Mi...aka, Flattened Bookworm and Dyaoka :)  
Warnings: Future shounen-ai. Don't like, don't read. As simple as that.  
**

**Prologue**

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The moon was high and full; the wind whistled through the courtyard. Two dark figures stood, both 10 feet away from the other. They chanted softly in unison, their voices making a distinguished tibre in the silent, midnight air. With absolutely no warning, light sprang up beneath the feet of the figures and spread to form a circle. Intricate runes appeared within it, spiraling around and filling the illuminated circle. In the middle was a symbol of a crescent scythe locked in combat with a sword.

Suddenly, a split formed down the middle of the spell. The ground rumbled and the light darkened instantly; the air surged with a roar of power. A huge humanoid goat monster stood, a crescent scythe in its grasp. Its shadow loomed over Prontera Church. It was Lord Baphomet...and he was free again.

Far off in Izlude, a young swordsman screamed.

Baphomet roared again, challenging the priests that dared to appear before him. Many quailed and ran, but the older priests stayed and gave commands, trying to keep order. Bells tolled, warning the slow waking city. Young ones would be hidden, and the ones able to fight would stall the monster.

Yet there was no time…it was chaotic; it was confusing. People screamed as the goat rampaged forward, destroying the church, heedless of the spells hurled at him. He simply walked over them; he was much to strong to be defeated by those fools...the mere mortals. More screams...more blood…more pain…

The swordsman tossed, but wouldn't waken, despite the efforts of his peers. It wasn't time.

It was the morning, and dawn's light shone upon rubble. Corpses littered the area where the Church once stood, proud and divine; now, it was merely rubble, splattered with blood. It no longer stood in all its glory. The monstrosity and its summoners had left, and in their wake, left behind a trail of destruction. Those that survived slowly appeared to see if they could find help and other survivors.

By high noon, the swordsman had passed into a dangerous fever.

**...To Be Continued...**

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**So...what do you all think? Review, ne:)**


	2. So it Begins

**Dance of Demons  
By: Flattened Bookworm and Dyaoka  
Warning: Future shonen-ai. Don't like, don't read.  
****  
Chapter 1**

**Takaya's PoV**

"Here already, I see."

A dark haired man was hunched over a gravestone. At first he made no notion that he had heard me, but then the man stood, his dark hair tumbling before his eyes. Slowly, the monk, Lacero, pulled his eyes off the stone and turned around to look at me. Behind him laid a neat bouquet of pink roses, a huge contrast of color from the drab setting it rested in. "You were too slow." He adverted his pained chocolate-brown eyes from me and returned to looking at the gray slab that stood from the ground.

"I'm always too slow when you want to see him." I knelt down and placed a blue rose next to his pink ones. I stood and whispered some prayers before heading off to the next grave to repeat the process.

"How many years has it been?" Lacero's voice was quiet and still, filled with sorrow and remembrance. His question, despite being said in a quiet timbre, echoed throughout the empty graveyard.

"Ten years, I think." Ten long and painful years since the attack. Monsters had become more active, restricting travel. Fewer people came to visit the graves of their loved ones each year…until finally, none came anymore. Those that lived in Prontera wouldn't visit on the anniversary, saying that it's a cursed day. I sighed and laid down my last rose upon a grave. There was nothing but a name, a birth date, and a death date. I offered the barren grave marker and the one who rest beneath it a prayer.

"Ten…he would've become a monk by now." I walked over and put a hand on my friend's shoulder.

"He's in Paradise now. He's probably a high ranking monk already, waiting to beat you in a sparring match."

"I'll win," Lacero said with a wistful grin and stood up, brushing his hands. "You hear that little bro? When I get up there, I'll still beat ya."

I patted him on the back and followed him to his parents' graves, then stopped. There was someone at the graveyard entrance.

An actual...visitor? On this day?

**Rai's PoV**

I pulled my brown cap down even more over my eyes than it already had been and headed in towards the northwest section of the town. I tried to avoid the stares of the townsfolk as I passed them by. None of them knew who I was—none of them recognized me, but who was I kidding? Of course they wouldn't recognize me, most of them have never seen me before! And yet…I had seen them all…I've seen them with their families…screaming for them and screaming for the God who did not exist to save them. The victims of that night were buried there, at the destination I was heading for, I believe. Finally, after traversing down what seemed to be a small and unused path, I found myself at the gateway of the graveyard. I barely noticed the crudely wrought iron bars that made the gate. It was something else that I had my eyes upon…and it was so many. There were so many graves! My head throbbed as I remembered that night. My eyes closed as the grisly scenes flashed through my head.

"Excuse me. Are you here to pay your respects?" I opened my eyes to find a white haired priest watching me from across the numerous graves. "Yes…yes, I am."

"I'm glad. Not many visit anymore, least of all on this day. Is someone you know buried here?" he asked, his stormy gray eyes fixed upon me.

"No. I don't know anyone here. I was just passing by and it just felt right to spend a few minutes here." Because I felt responsible for their deaths. I saw their wounds…heard their screams… felt each movement. Of course, I said none of those. However, just the thought of it made my head throb in pain again and I closed my eyes, waiting for the moment to pass.

"Are you alright?" The priest placed a hand on my arm, causing me to jerk back, the pain in my head, gone.

"Sorry. I'm fine, thanks. I was just asking…for their blessing. I'll need it when I find the Dance."

"The Dance of Demons?" This priest sure knew his myths.

"More commonly known as the Dance of Death. It seems the creature from that night, the who ended the lives all those in this cemetery, could've been one of the fighters." Why was I leaking all this information? There must be something about this priest. Something…that bonded our fates together? Who knows.

"Sounds dangerous. What do you plan to do if you witness the Dance?"

"I don't know. But I can feel that it's something I should do. I leave tomorrow at dawn, priest. And your friend waits for you." I bowed and walked off to visit the graves. The dull throbbing in my head returned with a vengence.

**Lacero's PoV**

I waited by the gates as Takaya spoke with the strange knight. The bells tolled right after the knight parted from Takaya; he was just in time.

"Talking about something interesting?" I started off from the gates as soon as Takaya was within hearing range.

"Yes…it was an interesting conversation. It seemed like something was drawing me to him." Takaya had to run a bit to catch up with my long strides, but he was caught up and lost in thoughts by my side. He was so busy thinking that he didn't even notice that he was walking towards a wall, instead of the Church we were going to.

"Like?" I steered Takaya away from the wall and into the Church. "For you to be so caught up in thoughts, it had bound to be an interesting conversation."

My white haired friend remained silent until we reached the living quarters of the Church. "Destiny," he answered enigmatically with a smile and walked off in the direction of his room.

I rolled my eyes at my friend and headed towards the kitchen. Takaya never remembers to eat when he gets like this. Upon reaching the kitchen, I asked an acolyte for some stew and bread. While waiting, I watched the acolytes and cooks work. I remembered my brother always snuck good tidbits out of here. I sighed. So long ago…time sure passes quickly…

I thanked the acolyte for the food and headed off to Takaya's room.

**Takaya PoV.**

I returned to the main hall for the second time that evening, thinking about many things. I had just talked to the Head Priest, asking for permission to travel. The knight with the brown cap interested me. Not only that, he had one of the most saddest pairs of eyes I've ever seen. Truthfully, I wanted to stay at the graveyard with the knight a bit longer. I thought back to the conversation we had.

_"I leave tomorrow at dawn, priest."_

Was he inviting me along? I couldn't help but smile a bit; he obviously didn't know how to come out and say things. Well, even if he wasn't trying to subtly hint at me going with him, I'd go anyway, now that I couldn't get him off my mind and that I've already gotten permission. Of course, that'll mean I need to prepare my belongings for a journey. The first thing one would need for traveling is to pack. With the intention of quickly getting my things set and ready, I opened the door to find Lacero glaring at me. With a sheepish grin I waved, stepped in, and closed the door.

"Where were YOU? I even got you some dinner." Lacero sighed and shook his head.

"I was getting permission to travel."

"You mean…you're actually going to go after that knight just because of some _feeling."_

"I think it was meant to be and you can't talk me out of it. I'm set." I took out a small pack and put in some clothes, food, and gemstones. I could feel Lacero's eyes boring down upon my back as silenced enveloped us. Then, he spoke, cutting the thick stillness in half.

"I'm coming with you."

I stopped my packing and looked straight at him. "What?"

"If I'm not there, who knows what sort of trouble you'll get yourself into?"

I rolled my eyes, having heard the same excuse the very last time I tried to go somewhere without him. "You don't know what _you're_ getting yourself into," I muttered as I continued with the packing.

"Try me," Lacero replied, his eyes revealing the fact that he was serious.

"He is…trying to find the Dance. Or, if I am correct, one of the Dancers," I answered quietly. "I believe…the one that destroyed this place ten years ago."

"I'm coming with you and that's that. If that knight plans to find the monster that killed my brother…" Lacero let the thought hang in the air. He wanted revenge.

I sighed. "Well then. We'll see."

"There's still some food for you. Good night." Lacero stood up and left the room.

I stared at the bread and soup on the tray for a while, thinking. Chasing after a legend come alive…I wonder if I'll be comfortable like this again. I sat down and ate. Then I finished packing, gave my room one last look, and went to bed. Dawn, after all, was quite early. However, thoughts of a certain knight with a brown hat didn't let me sleep till well after midnight.

In the morning, Lacero said nothing, but raised a questioning eyebrow at me. "Did you get any sleep or what?" he asked.

"Several hours," I answered. The two of us snuck into the kitchens at the church, grabbing ourselves a light breakfast before heading out for the start of our journey. Outside, the sun had just begun to peek out from behind the tall mountains and the rooftops of the buildings, slowly climbing its way up into the sky. Lacero and I walked onto the main road, which would usually be bustling with activity. There was little to no one there, at the break of dawn. Those that were there laid sprawled across the ground, in drunken heaps of having drank all night.

"It's so peaceful." We turned a corner and continue to walk down the empty streets. While Lacero was being as sociable as a wall, I was giving the occasional nod to any early birds. They returned my greetings with ones of their own.

"You wouldn't be able to tell that this is Prontera." Lacero yawned and squinted at the Gate. He tapped me on the shoulder and I followed his line of sight.

There, by the gate, came a movement. I stared a bit harder and saw a figure, leaning upon the Gate as he stared off at the rising sun. I picked up my pace, earning several unintelligible words from Lacero.

"He's there," was my only reply.

**Rai's PoV**

I had risen early in the morning, prepared to travel a long road ahead of me when I remembered about the priest. I did not know why I sent a subtle hint at the white haired man to come along, but I did anyway and it was a thing of the past, something that cannot be redone. When I approached the Gates that lead out of Prontera, I stopped and looked back at the empty road that lead me there. No one was there…But I decided to wait. If he was not here by the time the sun was out behind the houses, then I would leave. I leaned back heavily upon the Gates and put a hand to the side of my head. It was hurting again…I wonder why. The headaches seemed to have doubled these days…

In the silence that encompassed the town, I heard a noise. I looked back and saw two people there, shadowed by the shade of the houses. So, the priest did come. I watched the two figures hurry towards me. I surveyed the other man that was beside the priest. Was that the monk with him yesterday? I didn't expect him to tag along. But with more people, it'll be merrier, and of course…safer. At least, safe until the end.

I waited until they were within hearing range, and then started out the Gates. Slowly, my headache seemed to ebb away, allowing my thoughts to ring clearly within my head.

"Well. I suppose we'll start it now. It's a dangerous journey, the one I'm on."

"We know," came the reply from the white haired priest. He smiled cheerily at me, his gray eyes twinkling with excitement. I decided to let him be.

After all, the search begins. Baphomet calls.

**-To Be Continued...**


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